1. The Field of the Invention
The invention relates to accessing electrical devices in a computer equipment cabinet. Specifically, the present invention relates to devices, methods, and systems for installing and hot swapping an electrical device in a dense array of electrical devices located in a computer equipment cabinet.
2. The Relevant Art
Operational computer and communications equipment is frequently mounted in computer equipment cabinets. The computer equipment cabinets typically conform to industry standards such as those described in the Electronic Industries Association standard EIA-310. Industry standards specify standard cabinet widths and mounting structures for supporting equipment. Industry standards such as EIA-310 also specify several standard heights for cabinet-mounted equipment drawers.
Computer and communications equipment is typically mounted as densely as possible in computer equipment cabinets. Users prefer high equipment density as it increases the efficiency of cable and power interconnections and reduces space requirements. As a result, manufacturers attempt to package their computer and communications equipment in equipment drawers with the minimum possible standard height. For example, equipment conforming to the EIA-310 standard “1U” height is preferred by equipment manufacturers and users because it supports the greatest density in a computer equipment cabinet.
Many electrical devices housed in computer equipment cabinets are designed to be electrically connected to a host system or electrically detached and physically removed from a host system while other electrical devices and the host system are operational. Connecting or removing an electrical device such as a disk drive while other devices are operational is referred to as hot swapping. Hot swapping allows computer and communications equipment users to add, replace, and upgrade components and devices while other devices and the host system are operational. Hot swapping increases the time a host system and associated peripherals are operational, thereby reducing operational costs.
Electrical devices are often positioned in arrays within an equipment drawer to increase the device density. An array may consist of multiple electrical devices in a row or multiple rows of electrical devices. In arrays of electrical devices containing multiple rows, sufficient manipulation space must remain between the rows to allow the connection and removal of an electrical device. However, providing sufficient manipulation space between rows decreases the density of electrical devices in the equipment drawer. Equipment density could be increased if sufficient manipulation space could be provided for hot swapping while the manipulation space is reduced to a minimum after hot swapping is completed.
What is needed is an apparatus, method, and system for mounting electrical devices in a dense array. What is more particularly needed is an apparatus, method, and system for accessing an electrical device in a dense array by providing a manipulation space greater than the space between electrical devices in the array. It would be particularly advantageous if the electrical devices in such an arrangement could be hot swappable.